175701 “Business as Usual”: Unaddressed worker health and safety issues in the adult film industry

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 10:30 AM

Peter R. Kerndt, MD, MPH , Sexually Transmitted Disease Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Paula Tavrow, PhD , School of Public Health, Dept of Community Health Sciences, Bixby Program in Population and Reproductive Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Deborah Gold , Cal/OSHA, Research and Standards Health Unit, State of California, Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Oakland, CA
Binh Goldstein, PhD , Sexually Transmitted Disease Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Kim Harrison Eowan, MPH CHES , Health Education Administration, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Corita Grudzen, MD , RWJ Clinical Scholars Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
     
Adult film is a legal industry that generates about 4.3 billion dollars annually. HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose serious yet generally ignored occupational health risk to those who work in the adult film industry (AFI). Adult film performers engage in prolonged and repeated sexual acts with multiple sexual partners over short periods of time, creating ideal conditions for transmission of HIV and other STIs. The industry has not met OSHA requirements for worker education, medical monitoring or condom use, because producers consider such requirements as voluntary or not applicable. HIV infections reportedly occurred among heterosexual AFI performers in California in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 1999. An outbreak that occurred in 2004 was linked directly to workplace transmission. Panelists in this session will describe industry practices, the disease burden, attempts at regulation and consumer attitudes. The session will begin with an overview of past and current industry practices related to worker education, medical monitoring and condom use among adult performers. It will next discuss documented HIV outbreaks and the results of ongoing surveillance for HIV and other reportable STIs. The challenges faced by Cal/OSHA in seeking to enforce bloodborne pathogen standards will be highlighted. Results from a survey of consumers of adult films, which assessed their knowledge of health risks to workers in the industry and their attitudes towards viewing condoms, will also be provided. Proposed legislative and regulatory remedies to better protect workers in this industry will be presented for consideration by policy-makers, legislators and activists.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe STI/HIV morbidity, past HIV outbreaks and current STI/HIV risk to workers in this industry. 2. List the key elements of the bloodborne pathogen standard as it relates to persons who work in this industry. 3. Define the role of medical monitoring and use of personal protective measures to reduce occupational risk to workers in this industry. 4. Discuss consumer knowledge and attitude of health risk to workers in this industry.

Keywords: Occupational Disease, Public Health Legislation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Responsible in my position in a local health department to monitor and investigate sexually tranmitted diseases in affexted populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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